Thursday, February 04, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen! Critics and hipsters!

Evelyn Evelyn: A Terrible Tale in Two Tomes. To be published by Dark Horse Comics. Click to see the detail. I'm drawing these to look dirty and you can only see that up close.

Yup, I'm drawing the Evelyn Evelyn graphic novel for Dark Horse Comics. It will be out in October (2010). I'm not painting. I'm not sculpting. I'm not photographing. I'M DRAWING (and smudging and staining). It's been a while since I drew a large series of images; it makes my hand hurt. Painting is less stressy on thee hands. The graphic novel will be a hardcover, two book set slipped into a box sleeve. It's not going to be illustrated in a typical graphic novel style. I'm changing things up a bit. We are also hoping to make a workable font from my hand lettering. I'm keeping a detailed private web blog of my progress with the book art. I'll open it to the public after the book has been released. Here's a sneak peek of the album art - oh, yes, I did that as well. Some of you may remember my rock opera (Countess) about the music industry where I played Alicia, a doomed pop singer. This reminds me of that. With a suicide, a murder, and an earthquake things didn't go very well for anyone there either. You can hear some of that HERE. Countess was paid for by MCA Records. Go figure. Countess albums are given away for free. Want one? Send my assistant an email. hannah@drawbridge.com--CvB

This press release, which was sent to me by the Evelyn Evelyn handlers, explains the Evelyn Evelyn musical project:

Ladies and Gentlemen! Critics and hipsters!

We are proud to introduce "Evelyn Evelyn" - the world's only conjoined-twin singer-songwriter duo.

Discovered and launched by punk-cabaret queen Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls) and endless minstrel Jason Webley, Evelyn Evelyn is one of the most anticipated acts of 2010. After three full years in the studio, the Evelyn sisters are gearing up for a world tour in support of their debut album which hits the shelves on March 30th.

Epic in scope and production, the twelve tracks on "Evelyn Evelyn" showcase the twins' uncanny talent and versatility as musicians. With a background in circus performance and a wide, bizarre range of influences, the twins compose original timeless songs full of humor, sadness, and double entendre.

Rather than being limited by their unique physical condition, the Evelyn sisters prove that two heads are indeed better than one. Audiences will marvel at the twins as they dexterously perform their original compositions on piano, guitar, ukulele, accordion and even drums.

"When I first heard their songs, I was astounded at the sheer, raw talent and super-clever songwriting," says Palmer. "But when I found out they were actually conjoined twins who had spent their lives trapped in the circus industry, I wanted to help them reach a new audience."

These songs, which could be at home in a lost Tim Burton movie or a warped sequel to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, flash seamlessly through styles, eras, and genres. With lyrics that hearken back to simpler times, the twins' vocals are reminiscent of a ghostly counterpart to the Andrews Sisters. Encompassing everything from old-school dancehall to new-school indie show tunes, their songs range from the country-tinged "You Only Want Me 'Cause You Want My Sister" to an utterly heartbreaking ukulele rendition of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

Other notable tracks include a ragtime song called "Have You Seen My Sister, Evelyn?", the child-friendly "Elephant Elephant", and their commentary on the loneliness of online social networking - an anthemic 80's power ballad entitled "My Space". The latter features gang vocals recorded by many of the twins' supportive friends, including "Weird Al" Yankovic, Andrew W.K., Amanda's recent fiancé Neil Gaiman, twin comrades Tegan and SaraQuin, Gerard Way, Frances Bean Cobain, Sxip Shirey and many others.

All involved parties are crossing their fingers and toes in hopes that the world will not only accept these astonishingly unique young ladies, but embrace them with warm, open arms.

"We're all just really proud of them. I think people are going to love them, and we are excited to see how the twins react to performing in a climate where people are more receptive and respectful than they were in the circus," says Webley who co-produced the sisters' album.

Back cover of the Evelyn Evelyn album. Yes, the barcode will actually be scannable.

...................

ABOUT THE TWINS:Lyn and Eva Neville were born in September of 1985 on a small farm in Western Kansas. The girls are Parapagus Tripus Dibrachius twins, conjoined at the side and sharing between them three legs, two arms, two hearts, three lungs, and a single liver. Orphaned when their mother died in labor, little is known about their early life until 1996 when they made their first public appearance with Dillard and Fullerton's Traveling Circus. It was here that the "Evelyn" sisters developed their love of song and performance.

Unsatisfied with the grind of circus life, at the age of nineteen the twins decided to explore a solo career. It was then that they were discovered by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley, who heard the twins' music on MySpace. Webley and Palmer encouraged the twins and offered to help them record a proper album.

The album will be accompanied by a full US and European tour and - later this year - a graphic novel about the twins' inspiring life, illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler and published by Dark Horse Press.

Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley (along with their legion of supportive fans) will be traveling with and musically supporting the sisters on their ambitious world tour of Europe and North America.